Paul O'Neill (October 1928 – August 12, 2013) was a writer, historian and former

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

producer. He wrote many books on the history of

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

. O'Neill was born in St. John's,

, and raised in Bay de Verde until the age of 8 when his family moved to St. John's. Educated at St. Bonaventure's College in St. John's, National Academy of

Theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

Arts at

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, O'Neill was an aspiring actor in the United States and England from 1949 to 1952. Having performed on stage with such stars as Eddie Albert, Larine Day and Cloris Leachman in the United States and in England he acted in films with such well-known actors as

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, film director, and Film producer, producer. Attenborough was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Acade ...

Thora Hird Dame Thora Hird (28 May 1911 – 15 March 2003) was an English actress. In a career spanning over 70 years, she appeared in more than 100 films, as well as many television roles, becoming a household name and a British institution. Hird w ...

and

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

. While he was in England broadcaster Margot Davies had helped him in radio and encouraged him to write O'Neill began his career in

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

in 1953 with the

in Newfoundland where he produced many radio shows, TV shows such as Reach for the Top and was responsible for

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

broadcasts for 25 years. He retired from the CBC in 1986. O'Neill wrote stage and radio plays, articles,

poems Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

and stories in addition to works of popular

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

. He has served as president of the Newfoundland Writer's Guild, chairman of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council and president of the St. John's Folk Arts Council. In 1988, O'Neill was awarded an honorary LL.D by

Memorial University of Newfoundland Memorial University of Newfoundland, or MUN (), is a Public university, public research university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook ...

and in 1990, he was appointed to the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. In 2004, O'Neill was awarded the Freedom of the City and in 2008, he received

Order of Newfoundland and Labrador The Order of Newfoundland and Labrador is a civilian Award, honour for merit in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Instituted in 2001, when Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, Lieutenant Governor Arthur Maxwell Hous ...

. O'Neill left to his Niece, Irene O'Neil of Boston Mass all copyrights to existing publications and future publications. Paul O'Neill wrote his memoirs during the last years of his life, however fell ill before publication. His memoirs will be published in August 2015 on the 2nd anniversary of his death. The Book is titled "Something of Me". He died in August 2013 at the age of 84.Paul O'Neill wrote award-winning book on history of St. John's

Selected bibliography

* ''Spindrift and Morning Light'' an Anthology of Poems, Valhalla Press (1968) * ''Everyman's Complete St. John's Guide'', Valhalla Press (1974) * ''Legends of a Lost Tribe'' folk tales of the Beothuck Indians of Newfoundland, McClellan and Stewart (1976) * ''A Seaport Legacy'' the story of St. John's, Newfoundland, Press Porcepic (1976) * ''Breakers'' stories from Newfoundland and Labrador, Breakwater Books (1982) * ''The Seat Imperial'' Bay Bulls Past and Present, Harry Cuff Publications (1983) * ''A Sound of Seagulls'': the Poetry of Paul O'Neill, Creative Printers and Publishers Limited (1984) * ''Upon this Rock'' the Story of the Roman Catholic Church in Newfoundland and Labrador, Breakwater Books (1984) * ''The Oldest City'' The Story of St. John's, Newfoundland, Boulder Publications (2003) * ''No Need To Wear Rubbers'' Travel Diary of James O'Neil, Boulder Publications (2005) * ''How Dog Became a Friend'' Picture book illustrated by Cynthia Colosimo, Flanker Press (2007)

References

External links

Tidespoint bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, Paul 1928 births 2013 deaths Canadian male novelists Officers of the Order of Canada Writers from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador People from Bay de Verde 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian male writers Novelists from Newfoundland and Labrador

Selected bibliography

See also

References

External links